Four months ago, Senator John McCain said he would support the exchange of five hard-core Taliban leaders for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. “I would support,” he told CNN. “Obviously I’d have to know the details, but I would support ways of bringing him home and if exchange was one of them I think that would be something I think we should seriously consider.”

But the instant the Obama administration actually made that trade, Mr. McCain, as he has so often in the past, switched positions for maximum political advantage. “I would not have made this deal,” he said a few days ago. Suddenly the prisoner exchange is “troubling” and “poses a great threat” to service members. Hearings must be held, he said, and sharp questions asked.

Counter point, Ace:

The confirmation is new — their speaking out publicly is new — but the rumors that they believed this are not.

These rumors appeared in the comments at this blog long ago, in 2009 or 2010. They had appeared on milblog comments boards. (They probably were published in the main posts of milblogs, too.)

Most people didn’t say anything then for reasons that should be obvious to the New York Times: Because we didn’t feel we should say anything negative about a soldier held in enemy hands based on second-hand rumors.

The regime knew, or should have known the truth for five years Then so did Bergdahl brothers in arms.